The small intestine absorbs nutrients and some water from digested food. The vast majority of food absorption happens in the small intestine.

Anxiety and depressive disorders are among the most common psychiatric illnesses; they are highly comorbid with each other, tending to occur at the same time for individual patients.

Approximately 17.3 million Americans (7.1% of the population) are diagnosed with depression.

Obesity as a medical diagnosis is defined in relation to body mass index (BMI). BMI is a relationship between a person’s height and weight.

GERD is one of the most common conditions diagnosed in the United States.

Handoff is the transfer and acceptance of patient care achieved through effective communication.

The Emergency Severity Index (ESI) is a five-level emergency department triage algorithm that provides a clinical stratification of patients…

Ribs and clavicles are necessary as part of the framework for normal breathing.

The skin is composed of multiple layers of cells. A burn injury to the skin affects the surface first and, as the burn gets more severe, it penetrates deeper into the layers of the skin. 

Shortness of breath when laying down is a common heart failure symptom that results from increased lung congestion of the lungs caused by the shift of fluids from the legs to the torso.

Dilated cardiomyopathy refers to the heart being dilated and enlarged with the pump function substantially weakened.

Seromas can develop after both open and laparoscopic hernia repairs.  It is required to describe this common complication to the patient during the informed consent process.

General surgical residency training can range from five to seven years depending on whether the resident seeks to perform research.

Hernias and bulges that result from TRAM surgery are difficult problems to manage.

Meralgia paresthetica is a condition characterized by paresthesia, numbness, or pain the outer aspect of the thigh because of compression of the lateral femoral cutaneous nerve.

Failed back surgery syndrome (i.e., post-laminectomy syndrome) is defined as chronic pain following lumbar surgical procedures.

The lumbar discs are the cushioning between adjacent lumbar vertebral bones. 

As part of the aging process, degeneration occurs in the lumbar region and is referred to as lumbar spondylosis. 

The human coagulation pathway (blood clotting system) is a complex and delicate balancing act between proteins in the bloodstream that…